The invention relates to an annular bearing member for supporting a support element that comprises elastic material and that when installed is under pressure and that is in the area of a suspension strut, whereby the bearing member comprises a material that has a greater hardness than the material of the support element and whereby the bearing member includes a bearing surface upon which the support element with a counter-surface is supported.
DE-A 41 19 701 is a support element, in particular of a motor vehicle suspension strut, with an air spring that with wall elements with at least one elastic deformable wall encloses a cavity filled with a gaseous substance and that is supported with a first wall element on a support wall and with a second wall element on a suspension body that can be displaced relative to the support wall. The upper end of the piston rod that is axially guided in an external tube is supported air-tight on a rubber bearing. The air spring can be surrounded by a coil spring that is supported, for instance while interposing a damping element, at one end on a support shoulder of the jacket tube and at the other end on a support ring on the exterior tube.
It is disadvantageous that the damping element, which comprises elastic material and which is under pressure from the coil spring, can in particular deform radially given more axial pressure, so that it can potentially project beyond the radial limiting edge of the support ring and under certain circumstances can even be sheared off.
This can be counteracted in that the support element is arranged either in a chamber or is joined to the bearing element, for instance using vulcanization. On the one hand, such measures are not desired and on the other hand additional materials and work steps would be necessary that would cause the product to be more expensive.
The object of the invention is to further develop a generic annular bearing member such that the support element is no longer damaged by deformation as a result of the pressure on the support element so that the service life is improved.